Turbine airfoils or outer air seals operate in an environment where the gas temperatures often exceed the thermal capacity of materials in the engine. These parts may rely on cooling features to protect against damage. Cooling air from the compressor can be routed to provide internal convection cooling within the airfoils. However, more cooling air bled from the compressor and used for cooling means less gas is available for work extraction. Thus, engine efficiency may be reduced if higher amounts of cooling air are consumed. As demands increase for higher thrust and/or efficiency, the turbine inlet temperatures are increased while the gas allocated for cooling is reduced.
Some components may implement air cooling systems with a series of internal cavities to cool a part. In some instances, the air recirculates in an uncontrolled pattern before being bled off into another region of the part. The erratic air recirculation patterns may limit the efficacy of internal flow cooling systems.